INFERTILITY AND CHINESE MEDICINE

The majority of us grow up having some envision on what our future holds. It may include landing your dream job, meeting the love of your life, and starting a family. As straightforward as this dream may appear it can often become difficult to achieve. Today, one in six couples-15 percent-are experiencing infertility. Infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after two years of trying. With this high incidence rate many believe an epidemic is occurring. However, there are several reasons for the apparent rise in infertility. Medical advancements are enticing more individuals to seek treatment, environmental pollutants are effecting both men and women's fertility, many women are pursuing a career before trying to begin a family thereby increasing the rates of age-related infertility, sexually transmitted diseases causing pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to infertility, and finally stress and emotional factors contribute to higher rates of infertility.

Seventy percent of all cases of infertility are related to the women's reproductive cycle and thirty percent are related to the man. For women the most common factors affecting infertility are: irregular ovulation or anovulation, excessive menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, history of pelvic infection causing scarring of the fallopian tubes, immune system problems, and hormonal imbalances. Hormonal imbalances can be caused by emotional upset and in women this has been shown to cause tubal spasms and irregular ovulation both of which can impair fertility. Depression can also hinder one or several biological factors crucial to fertility including maturation of the egg, ovulation, and implantation. One study focused on women who are depressed and undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo-transfer procedures, found that these women had less than 50 percent fewer successful pregnancies than women undergoing IVFs who did not have histories of depression. Common issues for men effecting infertility include low sperm count, impaired movement or motility, low testosterone levels, and emotional stress. On the male side stress has been associated with significant drops in sperm count and quality. The role of emotions on fertility can be understood when we look at the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis (hormonal control system). This is because the hypothalamus controls the flow and timing of reproductive hormones and also regulates our emotional response to stress.

Chinese medicine is very successful in treating many gynecological disorders that accompany and contribute to infertility, such as irregular menstruation, anovulation, amenorrhea, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and heavy bleeding. Chinese medicine can help regulate hormone imbalances and stabilize estrogen and progesterone levels, thereby thickening the lining of the uterus. Chinese medicine is able to help decrease the FSH levels by regulating the hormones and function of the ovaries. A high FSH is a sign of lack of ovulation a number lower than ten is considered normal and a number of thirty-five indicates menopause. Chinese medicine can help regulate the endocrine system and stimulate the ovaries to bring about normal ovulation and regular menstrual cycles. Chinese medicine can help relax the patient which helps prevent the uterus from contracting, thereby improving the implantation process and preventing miscarriage. For men Chinese medicine can improve the quality and quantity of sperm and improve the overall quality of the semen.

By looking at the mind-body connection Chinese medicine offers a unique insight into infertility. Chinese medicine can be utilized in conjunction with western intervention such as IUI and IVF procedures. In one study individuals that did not have acupuncture before and after there IVF transfer had a twenty-six percent success rate while those that had acupuncture increased their success rate to forty-two percent.